---
aliases:
- Hermann Eilts
- Hermann Frederick Eilts
born: 1922-03-23
category: Intelligence & Government
created: 2026-05-17
died: 2006-10-12
location: Weissenfels, Germany
summary: Hermann F. Eilts (1922-2006) was the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt during the
  Yom Kippur War and Kissinger shuttle diplomacy era, who later disclosed that Kissinger
  had withheld information about Israeli nuclear arming until a final meeting in late
  1976.
tags:
- Person
- Israel
- Diplomat
- MiddleEast
title: Hermann F. Eilts
updated: 2026-05-18
---

Hermann F. Eilts was the American ambassador to [Egypt](/places/egypt/). He worked closely with [Henry A. Kissinger](/people/henry-a-kissinger/) during the intense Middle East shuttle diplomacy of the mid-1970s. Eilts was handpicked by Kissinger for the assignment to [Cairo](/places/cairo/) in October 1973, arriving at the end of the [Yom Kippur War](/events/yom-kippur-war/).[^1]

In a conversation with Kissinger in early November 1973, Eilts was told that the Israelis had "panicked" on the fourth day of the war (October 9), leading to the decision to assist them. However, Kissinger did not mention any nuclear arming at that time. It was only in a final meeting in late 1976, at the end of the [Ford](/people/gerald-r-ford/) administration, that Kissinger casually mentioned a concern that the Israelis might go nuclear if they didn't receive military equipment quickly. Eilts was surprised that this information had not come out earlier and by Kissinger's casual attitude.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 17.